Western New Mexico University has actually had four different names since it was founded in the Territory of New Mexico on February 11, 1893. It was originally the New Mexico Normal School. In the 1920's, the name changed to New Mexico State Teachers' College. It then became Western New Mexico College… and in 1963 the name was changed to Western New Mexico University. In 125 years, there have been only fifteen presidents of WNMU.
This makes one wonder if there was originally a New Mexico Abnormal School? Hmmm?
The Silver City area was originally known as an Apache campsite called San Vicente de la Cienega. In the 1860s, American settlers began arriving and Silver City was established in 1870. However, it took until 1878 for Silver City to be officially incorporated.
Grant County was founded in 1868 and named for Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States. Rumor has it that the reason Grant County has a long tail on the south end, was due to a ruling that all New Mexico Counties couldn't become a county without having a railroad. So, Grant County was given a tail to reach to the railroad that ran east and west south of the original planned area.
On September 23, 1875, Billy the Kid was first arrested by Sheriff Harvey Whitehill for theft. In fact, it is said that Sheriff Whitehill actually arrested Billy the Kid two times. After sitting in jail for two days, Billy, who was a small person, made his way up and out a chimney to escape. As many people know, his mother is buried at Memory Lane Cemetery in Silver City.
The total area of Grant County is 3,968 square miles. Of that total, only 5.9 square miles are water… the rest is land. Grant County is about the same size as the states of Delaware and Rhode Island put together.
Did you know that since 1950, there have been six tornados in Grant County? The largest tornado was an F3 tornado that touched down on October 12, 1957. It covered 14 miles but it did not kill or injure anyone.
It's hard to believe, but Grant County has a moderate earthquake risk, with a total of 3 earthquakes since 1931. The USGS database shows that there is a 16.33% chance of a major earthquake within 50km of Grant County, NM within the next 50 years. The largest earthquake within 30 miles of Grant County, NM was a 3.9 Magnitude in 1975.
It's the honest truth, "Judge" Roy Bean and his older brother Sam Bean operated a store and saloon on Main Street in Pinos Altos, just a few miles north of Silver City in 1861. It advertised liquor and "a fine billiard table." A cannon belonging to Roy Bean sat in front of the store for show.
So why did I write these pieces of trivia about our area? Because I couldn't think of anything to write about that wouldn't get me in trouble with someone. Last week some people didn't like what I wrote about crime. Though I didn't write any specific statistics, the point I was making is very true. You can find lots of sites on the internet that show statistics that represent that crime is bad in our area. Some folks say the statistics reported are incorrect. Maybe… heck even President Trump would agree with that.
So, this week I decided to play it safe. I like history, geography, the weather… so I enjoyed coming up with some of these obscure facts. Really? How many of you actually knew there had been six tornados? Tell the truth… you learned something from my column today. Well I hope you enjoyed reading it. Until next Wednesday, I hope you have a great week.